Maximizing the Master Closet
Spring is almost here, and if you’re like most people, your closets are jammed-full. Unless you have a huge closet, the best thing to do is to have current season clothing in the closet and store all other clothing in another closet, or in storage containers. The “Space Bag” compresses and protects clothing from season to season, allowing you to triple your closet space, and can be stored elsewhere in the home.
You may wonder how long it will take to organize the closet. Dawn McCloskey, a professional organizer and owner of Ultra Organized, says, “There isn’t a ‘magic number’ because it depends upon how much stuff is in there, if you need to try on clothing, and if you have someone helping or shall I say, interrupting?” If you don’t have a half day to do everything in one shot, break the tasks up into manageable pieces. Ultimately, you want to take everything out of the closet. While you are at it, vacuum the floor and molding, and if you want to really brighten the space, a coat of paint will do wonders.
As with any organization job, the first step is to sort. If you don’t like it or haven’t worn it in over a year, it’s time to get rid of it! Give those items to someone who will appreciate them, or donate them to a charity. Clothing that is stained or needs repair in any way should be trashed. The easiest way to create more space in your closet is to get rid of those items you never wear!
Many people have clothing for when they “get thinner.” Be brutally honest with yourself. If you are currently on a weight-loss program and will be wearing the clothing in the next two months, then by all means, return the clothing to the closet. If it’s going to take longer to fit in those clothes, treat yourself now by creating space in the closet and donating the clothes to your favorite charity; treat yourself later by buying a new wardrobe.
If you share a closet with a single rod, install a double rod which hangs from the existing rod and doubles the space. One person’s wardrobe can be hung on the top, and the other person’s on the bottom rod. Another space-saving method is to use tiered hangers or swing-out racks.
Keep like items together – grouping them by what makes sense to you. Some people hang items together by length – long items together and short items together. Other people hang clothes by type – pants together, skirts together, sweater together, blouses together. Some people like to organize by color – arranging clothes by color from light to dark. Some people organize by purpose – formal on one side and casual on the other. While some people hang whole outfits together – right down to the accessories. Choose a method and sort your clothes accordingly.
If you use wire hangers, consider replacing them with only plastic, wooden or padded hangers. These hangers will support your clothes properly and be more appealing to the eye. Ever notice the before and after shots on organizing TV shows or in magazine ads? The clothing hangs neatly, approximately two-finger-widths apart. This is easier on the eyes (and the mind) when trying to select clothing each day.
When returning clothing back to the closet, place the hangers backwards on the clothing rod. When you wear the item, turn the hanger around. This will make it visually easier to purge clothing at the end of the season – any hanger that hasn’t been turned is an obvious sign that it wasn’t worn that season.
As with clothes, sort shoes by season or occasion. For special occasion shoes that aren’t worn much, store them in their original box, noting what they are by writing a short description on masking tape OR by taping a photo of the shoes to the end of the box. Shoes can be stored on a rack on the floor, in original boxes, in a hanging shoe bag on the clothes rod, or on the back of a door. Here’s an interesting statistic: "Women with shoe racks were seven times more likely to be on time for work than women without shoe racks." Goode, Stephen. Couples Best Steer Clear of Closet Organizers. Insight on the News 05/14/2001, Statistic by/from IKEA, "You Can't Be Too Organized" survey of 620 consumers
Going forward, set time each season to purge old clothing, keep the floor cleared so you can vacuum often, and create enforce the rule “one new item comes in; one must go out.” It’s easy to maintain once a system is in place.
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